Conservative or Liberal, Deist or Pagan, Jersey transplant or Lehigh Valley native, we're all in this mess together. Let's talk. Let us do no harm. Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne

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Friday, May 06, 2016

Cunningham Wows NorCo Council With LVEDC Presentation

LVEDC CEO Don Cunningham

Unfortunately, the details of this story have to wait until Monday. For now, I want you to know that Lehigh Valley Economic Development Director Don Cunningham hit a grand slam with a Northampton County Council that has historically been highly critical of LVEDC and its efforts at attracting business in Northampton County. It's a "good news" story, too.

For now, let me remind you of the common view that the only development going on right now are warehouses. Guess what? We're completely wrong. Manufacturing is alive and well, and represents a much greater percentage of business in the Lehigh Valley that big boxes. It's just no longer like the manufacturing we used to see in the days of the Bethlehem Steel. I'll report to you in detail on Monday.

There's actually a paucity of 20,000 - 80,000 sq ft manufacturing properties available for sale or lease in both counties. They get scooped up very quickly these days. While warehouse properties are abundant, there are few options for small to medium sized manufacturers wishing to relocate or expand here. I understand LVEDC is well aware of this and attempting to formulate a strategy to address it and keep the momentum going. I wish them good luck and good work. We need it.

The type of economic development which is needed, and will really grow this region is opportunities that offer careers and a ladder to success and prosperity for people, not manual, backbreaking work for low wages. Driving a forklift for 30 years is not a ticket to success.

I will always believe Cunningham is an opportunist and politician (in the Clinton/Trump vein - sarcasm intended).

That said, LVEDC is actually getting things done these days. Under Phil Mitman and prior leaders, it was worthless, but it does appear to be working now.

Agree with Bernie, wait until you see the report, it's enlightening.

Oh, and 825am, there is no shame in using your muscles as well as your mind to get ahead in life. It's what this country was founded on, and it's elitist minds such as yours that has kids going to college, racking up $100k in debt, and coming out with a worthless degree. We need more of a focus on the trades, not less.

Trades people are the backbone of America. My father was a trades person, being a carpenter and later a general contractor in the Allentown/Bethlehem/Hellertown area all of his life. Before that in his 20s and 30s, he was an auto mechanic and a Pepsi-Cola driver. He owned an Atlantic, several Mobil and also an Esso service station, so if you want to trade Horatio Algeer stories, be my guest.

However, he didn't pay for my college education, I did. I was drafted in the early 1970s and served in Vietnam, and later went to Europe before leaving the service and using my VA benefits to attend college, obtaining a master's degree on my own dime. I used that knowledge to start a business with a VA-guaranteed loan and no, I didn't run up 100K in debt doing it. My children are both successful, one in Ohio and the other in Colorado, both are Air Force Veterans actually of Desert Storm. I instilled in them the qualities of education and hard work to succeed in life which they are to their children.

So you can take your Elitist krap and shove it up your ass. Perhaps you have the worthless degree and 100K in debt. I feel sorry for you if y9u did. However don't put your guilt on me or my family with your problems. When I need to hire trades people I aways hire union tades people, because I know the training they have and their certifications mean a job well and successfully done. And yes, my dad built my home using union labor, I spent many an hour measuring twice and cutting once, knowing that shit flows downhill in plumbing and not pouring concrete if it's below freezing.

Dave your second email reads completely differently than your first. "Use your mind not your muscles" is exactly the reason why we don't have the number of skilled tradesmen we desperately need in this country. We've (collectively, not you individually) have taught the millenials that working with your hands is dirty, beneath them, etc. For a generation like ours that has made a few mistakes, this one is monumental.

The only thing in your second email I disagree with is hiring union only. Unfortunately in my experience I've seen about the same percentage of union and nonunion workforce members that I wouldn't hire to build a birdhouse. So I use skills, ability and references as my guide and don't limit myself to union members. But that's my personal preference.

Glad you are successful and have earned it, as well as your children learning from you.

You pay more for union tradesmen because in the end, you receive more from them than non-union trades people. And that really has to do with the quality of the work and the in-service training and certification union members receive. I saw that growing up and in the work I've had done at my houses over the years. I don't mind paying more for high quality work and I've always received that from union plumbers, electricians, carpenters and other trades.

Now I really don't care for unionized government workers because government unions are nothing but legal Mafias that hold the government hostage and the bureaucrats pay their ransom to go back to work because it's not their money. That's the main problem at the VA where you have people that should be in jail for all sorts of things but since they are government workers nothing happens.

But the kind of opportunities Cunningham seems to be going after aren't skilled trades union jobs. They're warehouse jobs, low paying, unskilled and you can't support a family doing them. That's not a way to build an economy here. We lost so many industrial jobs in this area that were common and plentiful in years gone by. The kind of work that built this area.

Today, the most common career here is manual labor or health care worker. Not a machinist or a manufacturing worker. Cunningham can do better. Reilly should be making opportunities for entrepreneurs in all those nice new buildings in Allentown as well, not pilfering small-town banks from Boyertown .... What happened to the banks that were established here ?

I'm sure Cunningham put on a great show but he's basically a phone. Truth is we no longer need LVEDC or any taxpayer funded organizations for economic development. The major developers in Northampton Couty like Chrin, Pecktor, Attieya, Markwood et al have their own marketing departments and personnel to attract business.

Interesting that you have the same sort of contempt for government unions that many of us have for other unions. Your opinion with regard to those unions are based on your perceptions and experiences, as our mine.

I once had a summer job in a lab in a large urban medical center. Some construction work was done to house a special piece of experimental equipment and involved some wiring. Somewhere along the line, as strip of wood had to be nailed up to cover a piece of wire.

There must have been 3 or 4 union flunkies running around (I think it was their only "job") trying to investigate what sort of worker pounded in what sort of nail.

That quality union job probably cost the lab several hundred extra dollars (taxpayer dollars as I recall) to make sure that an electrician didn't "construct" a 1 inch wide piece of molding.

12:40, think about your argument. It is incredibly short-sighted. Major developers or businesses with their own marketers are only interested in themselves, not the many smaller businesses that are still the backbone of this country. From what I've seen of Cunnigham's LVEDC, I think the county should spend its money on that while converting the county DCED into just community development.

The warehouses, which are ugly and employ very few people, are just happening around here, LVEDC driving that truck. Our geographic location, coupled with large national and international development firms, are driving that. Then add in that the school districts love them (tax $$ and no kids to educate) and the deck is stacked.

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a shill for Cunningham - pls reference first post, I still think he's a slimy politician. But there has been more growth in the job categories that we all want here. Healthcare is a growth field and can be high-paying, but the work is intense. We have a great construction market right now, and carpenters/electricians are coming in from out of the area because we don't have enough local skilled workers and builders to do the work. It comes down to people being willing to work hard, and I don't see that in the workforce today. The experience of my customers, who I talk to every day and are across the valley and the state, bears that out. There is business to be had, and not enough good employees to make it happen.

On your union point, my experience is different is all I'm saying. I don't let anyone work on my house without a reference from someone I trust. That to me is more important because it goes to the quality of the individual and the work. Good comparison is that I would not hire someone at my company just on a resume - I employ people that I know can do the work as opposed to who looks good on paper.

Give me someone who did a stint at a community college while working full time to pay for their tuition over someone whose parents paid for their education at a private college anytime. The first knows what hard work is, the second thinks they do but generally don't.

I also have no problem paying more for quality work, in fact I'd rather do that. I have enough to keep me busy, chasing after a bad worker who did poor work isn't on the list.

Bernie, Weather it be LVEDC or CEDC this is an entity of a governmental developmental department, hence all projects set forth at PR: prevailing rate wages for all task services rendered?!($ With cunnilingwist making forth his own appointment there is deffinnatly no skimming the fat off the top of the milk?!($ Heavy wipping cream is just not an economically sound endeveor for the Renasaince Revivail propagated as a public works positive as the soon to be defunt moronic gag advertismental agency has proven?!($Republican reddSitting on the edge of my chair pinZ and needles poking every pore in anticipation of Bernie's opinions for the modern social issues perpetrating to chalk and paint to make a taint what it ain't gender specifics; the Browne hole truth and nothing but the truth?!($Truth be told familiars are like liars and fall flat on there face with forked toungue in place?!($

LVEDC a needed entity going forward. Are they perfect? No but this is better than what happened in the past. Less warehouses Don and more actual production of goods. At some point the destruction of our roads is not worth all these trucks on our roads. Or..get raill service on track to ease the road usage.

It would appear,Dandy Don wowed Bernie more than county council. The problem is council is not that up on things and have shown their ineptitude on quite a few occasions(like a 10% tax increase for one). Donny is a master BS artist. He has had the skill to jump from one public paid position to the nest with the timing of a pro. He has joined the ranks of guys like T.Ianellli in making a fortune in the LV insider pond.The LVEDC, like the Chamber loves to take credit for every job that comes to the LV. The LVEDC is an unneeded expense. Each county had their own vibrant DECD. Bernie's other buddy killed the Northampton branch so of course he thinks they are unnecessary. However, they are more beneficial to the county than this group with its overpaid glad-handing insider positions. Their is no question they have favored big box truck heavy warehouses and Lehigh County for years. Problem is the newbies on County Council don't know that and Bernie won't tell them. Its not in the present narrative.

The LVEDC should have an office in some place like Paramus N.J. so they could move around industrial areas and know the principles. Personal contacts that are a bit predatory ,then should be shown 'how to' move to the Lehigh Valley. Hanging out her is by my my thought process a patronage occupation. WE need somebody really go get'm .

The LVEDC should have an office in some place like Paramus N.J. so they could move around industrial areas and know the principles. Personal contacts that are a bit predatory ,then should be shown 'how to' move to the Lehigh Valley. Hanging out her is by my my thought process a patronage occupation. WE need somebody really go get'm .

Bernie, With all of these developmental praises perpatrated under LVEDC or CEDC and all other governmental projects perpatrated, can we get a forensic accountant in to make sure these people doing the truely hard work for this Renasaiance Revival bullshit are getting there pr, prevailing rate wage as to particular tasks performed?!($ Than with cunnilingwist making his own appointment there is deffinnatly no skimming of the fat off the milk?!($Republican reddThere is many a good tradesman that would sign there name to there handshake of the deal closure?!($With such a good week of news worthy information I am just sitting on the edge of my chair pins and needles poking my every pore in anticipation of the social takers making Bernies Oppinions online into a moral defishency of most?!($ Truth be told the sale selloff of the false sack o goods is just not good economically so far except for allentowns soon to be defunct advertisementalistZ?! ($

Bernie,I c u can be a grammatical proffessor too???? Adding this allredy unsurmouting blightable realeSTATE circus curcus too????Deed searchers needed no experiance needed just a massive amount???There was one oppinion on your oppinions that just might be one of this entity working together yet seperately to collude to dillude in this sick and suffering modern soicial issue????

LVEDC will demonstrate its worth when they get the first major corporate headquarters to move to LV from NYC, New Jersey, or CT. Not one company of that yet to occupy offices despite CRIZ & NIZ incentives coupled with substantially lower personal income tax rates & cost of living. They need to engage a relocation broker to represent them in the metro NY market.

PatRIOT;Just maybe when local yocals stop maskerading criminal artwork as commerce than maybe just maybe there sack of false goods advertise may have some tangibility to this faked facts put to print and data propagated by this sector of parasites feeding off of storybook tale's?!($ Most that have lived a little more than the mellenills that all this shitstew is suppose to benefit yet truth be told, very few are in fact the benefactors of this circus???